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“There are certain people, whom certain herbs, the good digestion of disturbs. Henry the VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon because of her reckless use of tarragon.” – attributed to Ogden Nash

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Sunday, January 1, 2012

Lucky Stew (or Golden Hominy and Corn Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings)

I adapted this a few years ago from James McNair's Corn Cookbook for my husband, who lived in Alabama at the start of his journalism career.He had related to me how Southern cooks greet the new year with collards and black-eyed peas to ensure good luck.

Now, neither of us are superstitious, but food traditions are fun and interesting, and sometimes help with menu planning. And this is good stuff.

I add collards for color, nutrition, fiber (oh, and, um, luck). I also add additional broth because the dumplings soak up some of it as they cook. That's also why I don't drain the tomatoes. I usually use potato (I used cauliflower once and was pleased) instead of turnip or rutabaga. Don't forget to soak the dried beans/peas the night before. My changes and notations are in parentheses.

You can make the stew a day ahead, as I did this weekend because of our schedule, and reheat it to a simmer before adding the dumplings. I reheated it in a saute pan to allow more space for the dumplings, which worked well.

Also great from this cookbook (and I recommend all of his) is the Smothered Cajun Corn, or Maque Choux.

Carefully pick over beans (peas) to remove any shriveled ones and foreign matter (such as rocks or an errant lentil). Place in bowl, cover with water, cover bowl and soak overnight.

Drain and reserve beans (peas).

Heat oil in a stainless-steel* stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add the drained beans (peas), cloves, bay leaves, thyme and stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the drained hominy, carrot, chosen vegetables, parsley, tomato and half the collards (only half because you need them to cook down before you can add more). Simmer until the vegetables are nearly tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the collards when there is room.

When the stew is in its last 30 minutes of simmering, mix the dumpling batter:
In a bowl combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; mix well. Add egg, milk, butter and corn and stir until blended. Let stand about 10 minutes before cooking to allow cornmeal to absorb the liquids.

Stir the 2 cups of corn into the stew and season to taste with salt and peppers. (Make sure it is just simmering before adding the dumplings; boiling can break dumplings apart.) For each dumpling, drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto stew. When all of the batter has been added, cover the pot and cook until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Serve hot, scooping dumplings alongside some of the stew in a bowl.

Serves 6 hungry people. Nice with a green salad.

Note: Reheats well as far as flavor, but any dumplings already in the stew will break apart a bit.

*(Stainless steel is nonreactive; the acid in the tomatoes won't react with it, as it can with aluminum, changing the color of the stew or imparting a metallic taste.)